Getting from Spetses to Skyros

If you are heading to Skyros from Spetses you are making your way from a car-free island in the Saronic Gulf to the most remote of the Sporades group, in the northern Aegean. It has two completely different landscapes, a dramatic hilltop Chora and a wild volcanic south, with its own native horse breed and one of the most extraordinary carnival traditions in Greece.

Take the ferry

There is no direct ferry from Spetses to Skyros. Skyros is connected to the mainland only via Kymi on the eastern coast of Evia. Getting there means taking the Saronic ferry from Spetses to Piraeus, which runs up to 10 times daily and takes around 2 to 3.5 hours, and then either flying from Athens to Skyros or driving to Kymi for the ferry across to Skyros, which takes around 1 hour 40 minutes and runs 2 to 3 times daily. The drive from Athens to Kymi takes around 2 hours via Halkida.

Getting there by air

Skyros has its own small airport with connections from Athens running around twice a week. Spetses has no airport. The nearest airport is Athens. Taking the Saronic ferry from Spetses to Piraeus and flying from Athens to Skyros gives a total journey time of around 4 to 5 hours. Check the schedule carefully as flights run only a limited number of times per week. In Greece, airlines do not operate direct inter island flights.

Your best option

Take the Saronic ferry from Spetses to Piraeus and fly from Athens to Skyros, or drive to Kymi for the ferry. Check the flight schedule carefully as it runs only a limited number of times per week. Note that Spetses is car-free so if you are traveling with a car it would be at the mainland port of Kosta, from where you can drive to Kymi for the ferry across to Skyros, which avoids Piraeus entirely and takes around 3.5 to 4 hours.